verba de educatione

In 1997, Hillary Clinton wrote an editorial about productive efforts in the public schools of Washington, D.C. In it, she noted:

“…there are schools in Washington that are hidden jewels, offering important lessons about how public education can succeed even in the most difficult circumstances.

At Banneker High School, all 82 members of the senior class have been accepted to college. Together, they’ve won hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants. They have all studied Latin and completed year-long research papers on authors as varied as Samuel Beckett and V.S. Naipaul. Every student volunteers in the community throughout four years of high school.”

They have all studied Latin. To Clinton, this was worth noting. Benjamin Banneker, the namesake of the school, also studied Latin. According to Kinshasa’s African American Chronology, he did so by accessing the libraries of his neighbors, gaining mastery over Ancient Greek and German as well, among other languages.

Clinton recognized over twenty years ago that the inclusion of Latin in a high school curriculum was a laudable element. It’s satisfying to note that the school she praised has held the course over the years. Perhaps some might anticipate Banneker being an enclave of privilege among D.C.’s complicated public school system, butthis is not true.

The question yet remains: why do so many top schools in the United States continue to offer Latin?